Discovery: Vegan Triple Chocolate Ice Cream

With my recent addiction to soy milk, I wanted to try making dairy-free ice cream. Again, being big on utilization, I tried to find the recipe that had most of what I had at home. I ended up finding Ice Cream Freaks' chocolate soy ice cream recipe, and played around with it.

My theory was that the thickness of my dairy-free organic chocolate syrup (which is MUCH thicker than Hershey's) would partially make up for the thinness of my vanilla soy milk that had replaced the soy creamer called for in the recipe. Sure, it might be a ridiculous assumption, but this is science...you try it out, and if it doesn't work? Try again!

While checking my ingredients to be sure that they were dairy-free (and...as it turns out...vegan!), I took a glance at my dark chocolate chunks that I had purchased for my Matcha Mint ChocoChunk experiment. I literally shouted because GUESS WHAT? I can eat them! For those who don't know, I have an obscure, ridiculous chocolate allergy that means I can't eat cocoa powder, but CAN have chocolate liquor and cocoa butter. I think I might revise this recipe at a later date to incorporate more Kelly-friendly chocolatey goodness :) Also, while one might thing it would be more beneficial to use chocolate soy milk, I think it would have over-chocolatafied the recipe.

Vegan Triple Chocolate Ice Cream

ice cream base
1 pint vanilla soy milk
1/8 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. raw sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/4 c. dairy-free organic chocolate syrup
3/4 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. dark chocolate chunks

chocolate ripple
1/2 c. dark chocolate chunks
1/4 c. vanilla soy milk

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except chocolate chunks. Blend until fully incorporated. Churn in ice cream maker until thick, approx 30 min. While ice cream is churning, cook soy milk and chocolate chunks in a double boiler until the chocolate is completely melted and thinned by soy milk. Set aside to cool. Once ice cream base has gotten thick, add chocolate chunks and allow to incorporate. Stop machine, and fold in chocolate sauce until swirled into ice cream. Put in freezer proof containers and freeze until solid.

I paired this ice cream with a raspberry coulis (made with agave instead of sugar) which balanced the sweet and bitter quite nicely. I think that without a berry-centered sauce, the ice cream might be too bitter for some people.

Infusion: Matcha Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Let's bring a little science back into this, shall we? All this cooking out of cookbooks is making me antsy and frustrated. ESPECIALLY since I find myself holding grudges against the authors for their recipes. Don't get me wrong, I understand the effort and skill it takes to formulate recipes...but damn, these formulas cannot seem to get on my good side. The thing of it is...they are great concepts. The flavor combinations are spectacularly unique and beautiful, but the recipes themselves are just "meh." So I'm going to take a break to fulfill a request.
Gennyfer brilliantly suggested Green Tea Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream as my next endeavor. It seemed less intense than the Chocolate Jalapeno that Heather had suggested, mostly because I already had most of the ingredients in my home....so I gave it a go. I decided to combine two recipes. Fer Food's Green Tea Mint Chocolate Chip and Ma'Ona's Matcha Ice Cream recipe. This would take my love for custard base ice creams and infuse it with the flavors I desired to be in my ice cream. Butterflies in belly, I began the process. I was quite nervous because my ice creams have mostly felt like failures lately, and I had such high hopes for this one.

Matcha Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

7t. Matcha Green Tea
4t. dried peppermint leaves
4c. half and half
4 egg yolks
3/4c. sugar
1/2t. peppermint extract
3/4c. chocolate chunks

In a heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until thick and fluffy. In a heavy based saucepan heat half and half, matcha, and mint until almost simmering. Temper dairy into yolk mixture and return to pan. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Strain repeatedly until the ice cream base no longer has herbs in it. Spin in ice cream maker until thick. Add chocolate chunks in during the last couple minutes and allow to churn until incorporated. Transfer to freezer-proof dish and freeze until firm.

"How'd it turn out?" You ask? Phenomenal. The texture is PERFECT. The matcha is rather subtle because the mint intensified while I let my base chill overnight...but because I used dark chocolate chunks, my cocoa counterpart put up quite a fight against the peppermint avenger. What I like most about it is that there isn't much separation in flavor. Like with the Peach Cardamom, it literally infused into one new flavor compound rather than "Oh, here's the mint...And now I taste the chocolate...Oh! And there's the matcha flavor!" I think the recipe would be just fine with a more mellow chocolate, but the dark was certainly no problem. I am very excited to share these samples for some feedback :)